Stan the T.rex

No visit to The Manchester Museum would be complete without seeing our terrific Tyrannosaurus rex, our very own Stan!

Named after Stan Sacrison, the amateur palaeontologist who discovered the skeleton, Stan the T. rex was excavated by the Black Hills Institute in 1992.

The fossil remains were found in an outcrop of Badlands (rough terrain) near Buffalo (South Dakota) in the USA.

Using a Bobcat ( a small earth moving machine), a jackhammer, picks and shovels the excavation removed the rock, known as overburden, above the fossil.

After this Knives, scribes and brushes were used to expose the fossil bones and teeth while glues and other chemicals were applied to stabilize and preserve the suface of the fossils and to keep them stable.

Before removal of the fossils, each one was drawn on a 'map' using a grid set over each section of the site.

The fossils were then covered with aluminium foil and encased in a field jacket, layered burlap (sack-cloth) and plaster, so they could be moved without breakage.

All excavated material was then transported to the lab for specialised cleaning, called preparation.

Stan The T. Rex

The fearsome face of Stan the T. Rex.

Your visit wouldn't be complete without seeing those sharp teeth up close!